The rapid growth of digital communication has made it possible for all kinds of digital media items to be communicated amongst various types of wireless and wire line communication devices. For instance, the cellular or mobile telephone is no longer limited to telephonic voice communication and may include other means of digital communication, such as digital networking (i.e., Internet communication, text messaging, and the like). In addition, an increasing number of cellular telephones and other mobile wireless communication devices, such as portable computers, personal data assistants (PDAs) and the like, are being integrated with other means of capturing or producing digital media, such as digital cameras, digital audio recorders, digital video recorders and the like. Technological advances have made it possible for other digital devices, such as digital cameras, digital video recorders, digital audio devices and the like to be equipped with means for digital communication. As more and more digital devices possess the capability to digitally communicate with one another and provide for digital media capture capabilities, the amount of digital media items that will be captured and communicated amongst these devices will increase at an alarming rate.
The users of digital devices that possess media capture capability will, all too often, miss an opportunity to capture a media event. This is typically the case when the user either forgets to bring the device to the media event, forgets that an event is about to occur or fails to recognize an event as one that warrants media capture. For example, people often forget to bring their cameras to sporting events, birthday celebrations, picnics and the like. Therefore, it would be highly advantageous if the users of such devices were reminded, just prior to the event, that the event warrants media capture.
Most digital communication devices, such as desktop or laptop computers, personal data assistants (PDAs) or the like either come equipped or can be configured by the user to implement a daily planner application. The daily planner allows the user to coordinate and manage their upcoming schedule of events by inputting event reminders in a digital calendar. The digital planner provides the unique benefit of sending the user electronic reminders, in the form of alarms or visual or audible messages, when an upcoming event is pending. The digital planner has proven to be a highly successful tool for the businessperson and, in most instances, has replaced the need for conventional hard copy or paper daily planers.
Therefore, the need exists to develop a mechanism and system for notifying digital media capture devices that an event is about to occur that warrants media capture. Such a system will lessen, and in most instances eliminate, the likelihood that a media capture event will occur without the event being captured in media. The desired system should be capable of both internal and external alerts, such that a digital capture device can remind itself that a media capture event is about to occur or a digital device can communicate a reminder/alert to other digital devices capable of media capture.